Being Sick in Hong Kong

    While Elwin went through some serious issues with his heart in Hong Kong, we came to respect the medical professionals who treated him.  Both Dr. Fung and Dr. Pei received their medical degrees from UCLA and were very competent.  They made decisions on what needed to be done and carried through efficiently.  The thing that impressed us the most, of course, has to be the skills, but one thing stood out.  The doctor gave us his cell phone number and e-mail address in case we had questions after office hours.  After the surgery, the good doctor called each morning for 3 days to insure that things were going well.  Except for the dear medical friends in our neighborhood in St. George, we don't think we ever got that kind of treatment from any of our doctors.

    I caught a cold a couple of days ago.  I went down to the temple basement dining area to have some lunch, but didn't feel very well.  Immediately, when my friends at the temple saw that I was feeling sick, they went to work.  Sister Chan made me a very strong cup of herbal drink to treat colds, and watched me drink it.  She then gave me directions on what I needed to do at home.  I felt better and went upstairs.  Then, Sister Shau saw me.  She said that I didn't look well.  So, she gave me a wonderful neck and shoulder massage.  By then, my lymph nodes were swollen.  She advised me to go home and rest.  I thought I'd just rest a little and wait for Elwin.  Then, two more sisters came to check on me and took over whatever I was doing so I could go home.  By the time I got home at 3 PM, I was running a fever.  But it was comforting to know that people cared about my well-being and were so helpful.  

    Not knowing if we should go to the hospital or a clinic somewhere near us to treat my ailment, Elwin called the Church doctor in Hong Kong since I looked pretty sick.  The good doctor prescribed some medication.  We live about an hour away from the pharmacy we usually use.  Elwin called the pharmacy and the LDS pharmacist filled the prescription and told Elwin she would deliver it to the Temple (half an hour's travel time) for him to pick up.  She did this once already for Elwin when he needed some medication.  We insisted that it would be too much inconvenience for her to come all the way to the Temple to do such thing, but she did it for us.  We are truly surrounded by angels.

    We also met a special gentleman who practices "Tui Na", the Chinese bodywork massage therapy.  I did some research and found this website to be very helpful to explain what "tui na" is.  http://tcm.health-info.org/tuina/tcm-tuina-massage.htm

    A brief description is as follows: 


Tuina (Tui Na) is an Oriental Bodywork Therapy that has been used in China for 2,000 years. Tuina (Tui Na) uses the traditional Chinese medical theory of the flow of Qi through the meridians as its basic therapeutic orientation. Through the application of massage and manipulation techniques Tuina (Tui Na) seeks to establish a more harmonious flow of Qi through the system of channels and collaterals, allowing the body to naturally heal itself.

   Brother Cheung is a health professional who does "Tui Na".  He has treated us regularly and I certainly can feel the difference after he manipulates my musculoskeletal and ligamentous alignments.  It hurts like crazy when he works on me, but afterwards I feel such relief.  I came to Hong Kong with serious plantar fasciitis and every step I took was painful.  He told me the problem was the circulation on my ankle and my leg.  After a couple of manipulations, my pain on the foot was gone.  Now I can walk normally again.  It was truly amazing.

    For those who need to see a doctor in Hong Kong, go to the local doctor's office, and they are board certified.  Don't know the cost though.  But if you are in China, you would go to the hospital and they'd assign you to a doctor.  The cost is very little, 50 cents to register, 75 cents to see a doctor that they assign you, or if you want to see the head of the department, then you may need to pay as much as US$2, plus whatever prescriptions you need.

    We truly are surrounded by angels.  We are so grateful.